Mortality rate of defence forces down in high altitude areas

Amritsar, Nov 18 (UNI) As a result of 'effective and good' medical services being provided by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), the mortality in the high altitude areas like the Saichen Glacier had been considerably reduced.

''The mortality rate of the defence services in icy cold and high altitude areas had come down to just 0.1 percent from about 60 per cent in the last few years'', AFMS Director General Vice Admiral V K Singh told mediapersons here yesterday after inspecting the military hospital of the Panthers Division.

Defence personnel manning the high altitudes were being provided the best of medical facilities and medical and life saving equipment and drugs were being made avaliable to them, he said. ''Timely evacuation of the seriously ill is an important factor in high altitudes and we are doing a excellent job on this'', he said.

The Vice-Admiral said the Medical Services were always on high alert and ''could reach any effected area within two to six hours''.

The Medical Services had even reached the inaccessible areas hit by natural calamities, he said while refering to the earthquake of October last year which devastated parts of the Kashmir valley.

Vice-Admiral Singh said a comprehensive upgrade of the Medical Services was underway for which a grant of Rs 500 crore had been made avaliable.This plan would involve upgrade of military hospitals and supply of the latest equipment to these hospitals, he added.

''The medical staff including doctors and para medics are being trained to handle the most sophisticated equipment,'' he added.

The DG announced a grant of Rs five crore for the local military hospital as it was strategically located and also catered to a large number of exservicemen and their families. This amount would be spent on medicines and buying scan machines and other equipment urgently required.

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